On Thursday, May 21, Trinity’s students “left it all on the stage” at their annual Spring Concert. The night was an entertaining night filled with smiles, laughter, and even tears, but between the silly songs, scarf dances, and percussive noises was an overwhelming sense of wonder, discovery, and praise for our Lord, Jesus Christ! So, how did these kids get here, serving their God through song and dance? Let’s take a closer look at what happens each day in the music classroom.
Everyday, music class begins with singing. This is the foundation for everything we do there. When we play instruments, we sing. When we move to sit in a circle, we sing. When we dance, we sing. We sing all the time. I have had guests enter the music room and ask, “how do you get your kids to sing so much…I was terrified to sing in public as a child.” The answer is easy…we sing all the time. And this is evident in our performances, including the Spring Concert. When the CD player malfunctioned and the back track did not work, the students sang, unphased, loud and proud…boy, was it chillingly beautiful! And the students who got up and sang by their selves as featured soloists, Julia, Kenna, Tatyana, and Ashley…I think it is safe to say our socks were blown off. What beautiful voices God has given our kids at Trinity!
In some languages around the world, the word for “sing” and “dance” is the same word. While we don’t see them as the same, they are equally important to music education. Any given day in music class, you might see students moving like butterflies, floating with scarves, clapping to a folk dance, or even tossing a parachute. (You remember…the one you thought was only for PE class?!) These kinaesthetic experiences allow music to infect their entire body to feel music, not just make or hear it. All these activities led to scarf dancing to American composer, Leroy Anderson’s, “Plink Plank Plink”, folk dancing to a traditional American tune, and even free style hip hop dancing across the gym at our concert. What a sight all this was!
These are just a few examples of what we do in music class, but it does not stop there: SMART Board games, reading children’s books, playing xylophones and recorders, and much more! To get a better idea of what else we do in music class, please stop by and watch! Just know that if you come to watch, you will likely end up joining in on the songs and games.
Josh Brink
Music Director
JABrink@TrinityDowntown.com